News About This Theater

Opened as the Tosa Theatre in 1931, and was previously owned by the Milwaukee based Standard Theaters Management Corp. and Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres chain. The theatre was purchased by Jay Hollis in 1999, who has since shown first-run films at the Rosebudwhich is in direct violation of the terms of the property’s sale.

Since that time, Marcus Corp has sued Hollis and recently offered a settlement that would have Hollis donate money to charity. Hollis has claimed that if he can’t show first-run films, the Rosebud will be forced to close.

The story was turning into something of a soap opera in the area with the determined Hollis defiant to the end and appearing in several newspapers and broadcast outlets to plead his case.

Milwaukeeâ€\s reviving Bay View area finally is getting a cinema, but it wonâ€\t be at the neighborhoodâ€\s former Avalon Theatre.
Theater Sequel in Bay View
Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Patrons enter a midnight show at Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse, 6823 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, in 2002. Owner Jay Hollis is expanding his business with a new theater in Milwaukeeâ€\s Bay View area.

The Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse Bay View will open next summer in a former Kohlâ€\s supermarket, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., said Jay Hollis, who operates the original Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse, 6823 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa.

The Bay View Rosebud, like the Wauwatosa business, will feature first-run and art house films in a single-screen theater, furnished with tables, sofas and chairs, and offering a dining service with beer, wine, pizza and other foods.

Hollis said Thursday he signed a letter of intent to sublease 5,000 square feet from Outpost Natural Foods, which recently agreed to lease the 24,000-square-foot building. The building has been empty since August 2003, when Kohlâ€\s Food Stores Inc. closed its 23 area supermarkets after several years of declining sales.

Outpost plans to open an 8,000-square-foot store by next summer and will use additional space for its catering division. Outpost, which also operates stores at 100 E. Capitol Drive and at 7000 W. State St. in Wauwatosa, is subleasing the north part of the building to Hollis.

Outpost plans to begin its $2.1 million renovation in January, said Pam Mehnert, general manager. She said the Rosebud, which will show movies only at night, will be compatible with the natural foods store, which operates during the day.

Outpost also might provide some food for the Rosebudâ€\s dining service, Mehnert said.

Hollis, who today celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Wauwatosa Rosebud, has been considering a second location in Bay View for about two years.

The south side neighborhood has seen an influx of new homeowners, which has increased property values and attracted several new retailers along Kinnickinnic Ave.

â€œThe demographics are perfect for Rosebud,â€ Hollis said.

Also, Bay Viewâ€\s only movie theater, the Avalon, closed in July 2000. Avalon owner Craig Ellsworth said it could no longer compete with modern, multi-screen cinemas.

Hollis said the Wauwatosa Rosebud began turning a profit its second year, thanks to the dining service, unusual furnishings and a fun atmosphere drawing customers from throughout the Milwaukee area.

Hollis said it would cost roughly $250,000 to create the Bay View Rosebud. He expects to finance the project mainly with cash generated by the Wauwatosa cinema and a bank loan.

Hollis originally hoped to buy and reopen the Avalon, but dropped that plan because it would have been too expensive. He said Ellsworth wanted $1.5 million for the building, which includes 19 apartments and street-level retail space, or $550,000 for just the theater portion. Hollis estimated it would cost an additional $500,000 to properly renovate the theater building.

Ellsworth declined to comment on his discussions with Hollis. He said he continues to market the 1,250-seat theater for conversion to office space.

The Bay View Rosebud will have 170 to 190 seats, about the size of the Wauwatosa theater.

The new theater will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, said Carol Voss, a spokeswoman for the Bay View Neighborhood Association.

Still, Voss added, â€œIt would have been nice if it could have been in the Avalon.â€

The Avalon opened in 1929. It is known for its decorative facade, ornate ceiling that depicts twinkling stars and a Wurlitzer pipe organ.

The Common Council in March designated the Avalon as a historic structure. That designation protects the Avalon from demolition or exterior renovations, but wonâ€\t affect Ellsworthâ€\s plan to turn the theater space into offices. In June, the Avalon made the stateâ€\s Ten Most Endangered Properties list for 2004, compiled annually by the Madison-based Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation.

From the Dec. 17, 2004, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Get the Journal Sentinel delivered to your home. Subscribe now.

With the announcement in April of 2005 that the AVALON is being purchased by a new owner and will reopen, Mr. Hollis of the ROSEBUD (former TOSA in Wauwatosa) has droped plans for the Bay View location for his new cinema. Instead today’s newspaper says that he will purchse his sister’s cinema, the TIMES. That story will be available for the next four years here: http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/may05/326028.asp
I hope for the success of the new ownership, which will retain Steve Levin as the operator/lessor for the forseeable future, but if ticket sales again slide, I wonder at the probable success of puting in first run there, since only two miles away Mr. Hollis' ROSEBUD already shows first run. Can two first runs succeed that close to each other?

Sitting on a comfortable couch with a piece of pizza in one hand and a cold beer in the other is most peopleâ€™s idea of the perfect way to watch a movie. This may occur most often in a personâ€™s own living room, but the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse offers the same option.
Still standing in its beloved neighborhood in Wauwatosa, the Rosebud is a true part of Milwaukeeâ€™s beginning. From its opening in the humblest of times to its present day lure of a unique movie going experience, it has patrons coming back again and again. The Rosebud has gone through a multitude of changes over the years, and the most recent renovations are what has it surviving today.
The Rosebud opened on October 22, 1931 as the Tosa Theater, which was extremely unusual during the depression. The theater business is always hit or miss. â€œFor someone to strike out into a business like this was very courageousâ€ said Larry Widen, one of the owners and a respected freelance writer, who sports a gray goatee, mustache and a business mentality. When the theater first opened however, an array of articles and advertisements in the local paper got citizens excited for the new theater.
The opening ceremony housed 600 eager Wauwatosans who got to experience the acoustic panels, leather covered seats arranged on an angled floor, which boasted a great view from anywhere for the new â€œtalkies.â€ â€œThe projection machines, two huge affairs, are of the latest model and will provide the best synchronization of action with sound,â€ proclaimed The Wauwatosa News.
The new theater was a place for all ages, as they showed children matinees such as â€œWheeler and Whoosey,â€ as well as films for a more mature audience like â€œI Take This Womanâ€ and â€œThe American Tragedy.â€ Citizens frequented the theater, given that the shows changed several times a week. But for a mere of 25 cents for adults it was always affordable.
The original owner, Ross J. Baldwin ran it for nine years until it was sold in 1940 to Ben Marcus. The name might sound familiar because it is an institution in Wisconsin and the surrounding states these days with around 50 locations. But the Rosebud and its sister theater, The Times Theater, were the first Marcus theaters in Milwaukee. â€œThey werenâ€™t one of the first, they were the very first Marcus Theaters,â€ said Widen. They may show their age compared to the new theaters built today, but their charm and unique aspects more than make up for it.
From the 1940â€™s to mid-1990, the Rosebud changed hands a few times before finally being bought and remodeled by Jay Hollis in 1999. Many drastic changes took place, which included getting rid of the original theater seats and adding the kitchen and modern bathrooms, to give it the comfortable, homey feel it has today.
Widen describes the Rosebud like many of his customers would. â€œItâ€™s more like a living room.â€ The main lobby, with its warm red walls and soft lighting, is a portal back in time to the old theater days. While the illusion of an antique theater exists on the surface, that is as deep as it goes.
The main showing area that houses the one screen does not look anything like a regular theater. It does not feel like one either. Soft, overstuffed black couches have replaced the cramped, hard seating that use to exist. Short tables sit between the couches for a completed living room feel. Those tables are not there to set an overpriced slushy and box of candy on however.
The Rosebudâ€™s final distinctive feature is the full drink and food menu that is offered. A big change from its original popcorn-only beginnings, the theater now serves a full menu including pizza that is delivered to you in your seat. The drink selection also reflects the adult, comfortable atmosphere it has taken on. â€œThis place is for adults or people that act like adults.â€ Widen said, â€œThatâ€™s good enough for me.â€
There is no syrupy slushy here, instead a more adult selection that appeals to its customers are on tap. While soda can always be found, a variety of draft beers, including a few Milwaukee labels to stay true to its roots, house wines and mixers are all available providing a truly relaxing evening.
The Rosebud hides a special aspect high above the main seating, which almost no one knows about. A product of the remodeling, a few select comfortable chairs sit high over the rest of the crowd in a private box. Pulling back a curtain allows the owners, their families and a few lucky people that buy the box at an auction to have a perfect view of the movie. â€œIt is a private box and I like keeping it that wayâ€ said Widen.
While this living room type movie theater seems like an ingenious idea, only a few places around the country are like the Rosebud. â€œYouâ€™d think something like this everyone would jump on itâ€ said Widen. The secret may be well hidden, but the patrons that frequent here are not complaining.
â€œOur audience tends to skew a little on the older sideâ€ said Widen. While many theaters thrive on the teenage audience, and the Tosa Theater once did, the Rosebud likes being a place for adults to escape to.
The movies that are shown directly reflect the audience it has. The Rosebud has stayed with its roots and shows a wide range of movies, from mainstream to more under-the-radar films. Widen said he screens every film before he decides to run it. â€œI feel like I have my finger on the pulse of the audienceâ€ said Widen. He tries not to let his own judgment stop him from playing films others might like. â€œSometimes Iâ€™ve got to throw in a romantic comedy for the soccer momsâ€ said Widen.
Widen plans on making sure the Rosebud stays a part of Wauwatosa for many more years to come. While its sister theater, The Times Theater, is planning on getting a face lift soon, the Rosebud has found its niche and plans on keeping it. While a multiple screen theater is not possible in its location, what will come next is always on the ownersâ€™ minds. â€œWeâ€™re always thinking about itâ€ said Widen. A new location is also being tossed around, but when asked where that might be, Widen answered, â€œIâ€™d have to kill ya if I told you.â€
The Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse is a unique theater experience that has changed hands and audiences, but still continues to thrive. While the rich history of the theater is still apparent, it provides a new and innovative way to go out to the movies and still get the comfort of home.

Former owner Jay Hollis has been hired to manage and keep the TIMES and ROSEBUD open while a search convenes for a new owner. AnchorBank of Madison had foreclosed on the mortgages, but the bank said today that the theaters will remain open. Hollis, a former painting contractor, created the Rosebud in 1999 after redoing the former Tosa Theater, and sold it in 2007.
After owner David Glazer said the two theaters would close during the first week of March 2012, AnchorBank spokesman Timothy Carter said Hollis was hired by Siegel-Gallagher, the court-appointed receiver of the properties, to begin operating the theaters beginning March 1 throughout receivership while a new owner is found. Byron Butler, the senior vice president of marketing at AnchorBank, called Hollis “the original visionary” and said it was appropriate to continue operation with such a leader.